Jack Daniel’s Angelo Lucchesi Ninetieth Birthday Tennessee Whiskey

Jack Daniel’s put out a special bottle to commemorate their first salesman’s 90th birthday. This bottle is packaged at 45% ABV (90 Proof) which is the original strength of Jack Daniel’s. All of the typical bottles these days are bottled at just 80 proof (40% ABV.)

Pouring a glass and inhaling the scent, I can immediately tell that this is Jack Daniels. The yeasty banana smell is prominent, though it seems heavier than the regular edition of this liquor. Oak seems to make up the remainder of the scent. I caught a brief hint of char, but it was quite fleeting.

To my palate, this is quite similar to yet distinct from the regular bottling of Jack Daniels. The toasted oak is much more pronounced, and the banana flavor that comes from the yeast is more of an after-taste than the main showing. There is a hint of an almost rum-like sugariness that hits the back of my mouth, and the increased alcohol content makes itself known.

All in all I must say I prefer this to the more commonly available bottling of Jack Daniel’s, and this is at the original alcohol content that Jack himself would have known. It may cost a couple dollars more, but is worth it if you are a fan of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey.

Frank, if you go to http://www.jackdaniels.com and then verify your age information with them, you will see a link on the main page that says “register your bottle.” If you click on that, you will be taken to a web form that you can fill out to have your bottle registered.